<p>I know I wont be starting any rendering until the 2nd 3d year of seas. I wanted to get a laptop that was capable of freeing me from the lab room and allowing me to get things done at my leisure.</p>
<p>My questions are posted here:
3d</a> rendering on a Gaming Graph. card 260m GTx 4650hd - Notebook Forums and Laptop Discussion</p>
<p>btw i love that web site but i had to make a new login since i lost my old one...ie the newbie status.</p>
<p>-> no i dont want a desktop. I like to play games and research anywhere i want and I travel a lot on my time off. budget depends on outside scholarships and what Columbia allows me. so idk im lookign at the Sager 8662 or the 2098 compared to the sony viao. NO macs...please.</p>
<p>I don’t quite know what sort of laptop to recommend, given that you never state your budget for the purchase.</p>
<p>I can tell you that 3D design is done in Gateway Lab, freshman year, using the software package called Maya. You get access to a computer lab to do that. You can also take additional classes on the matter that will continue your access to the lab.</p>
<p>Well i did not know if i could get a laptop till last night, it was kind of a miracle. so about 1500-1800$ Yes i know about desktops and small lappy’s but i really hate being chained to them [after all tehse years] and i dont game so much i just like the ability to. My questions on on the notebook site, and the config of the laptop is on the last page. Sager8662 2098 sony fw asus g71, 51</p>
<p>That’s a lot of money for a laptop.</p>
<p>make sure you buy the 3-year warranty and maybe some theft insurance.</p>
<p>don’t buy a dell, their desktops are great but their laptops are of shoddy quality. HP and Lenovo use the same internal components so go with whatever looks like the better configuration for you.</p>
<p>Your right it is a lot for a budget…for not getting a mac lol…but if i got a normal laptop for just games and stuff it would be around 1000$-1100 so i am still thinking. I really hate getting a desktop but ill see. I just really want the ability to be able to do class work at my dorm or the library rather than going to a specific lab. </p>
<p>Most important question ever!:
Anyone know the amount of outlets available at Columbia? if there are tons in the classes i may save that 125$ in an extra battery. i saw hamilton and thought it to seem outdated… not many plugs and the chairs were not made for my foot ball build lol…so uncomfortable. but ppl survive.</p>
<p>Get the extra-long-life battery. Even if classrooms have a lot of outlets you may not always get a seat by one. You may want to work outside on the lawn or the steps (which is all in the wifi cloud). You may want to sit at a table in a library that doesn’t have an outlet right nearby. There are plenty of outlets in most places but you’ll be glad you don’t have to depend on one quite as much. Plus battery life degrades over its lifespan.</p>
<p>ok so two 8cell batts…(there is not large capacity like sony) do you know about how much space you needed doing engineering programs. i cant tell if i need a 500 gb hdd or jsut the 320, i have a 320 portable almost full…and i wont be torrenting at columbia…already got rosetta stone/solidworks/cad/matlab</p>
<p>500 GB shouldn’t be that much more expensive. Of course, if you’re trying to shave dollars off the final tag, you can always buy a bigger HD down the road (if you’re willing to put up with transferring the partition or reinstalling Windows)</p>
<p>Where they get you, money-wise, is with accessories. Don’t bother getting a printer, for example.</p>
<p>true true i know about printers i wont need one; however…a scanner would be nice for paperwork and backing up notes…or i can take a picture through a cam lol. i can find a really cheap on ebay</p>
<p>500gb is about 70$ more not too bad but necessary? idk</p>
<p>my goal is to get my 1800 price tag down to 1600 with notebook cooler and sleeve.</p>
<p>I will buy the laptop with no OS i will instal win 7 on my own… any other advice? i will be looking at bestbuy today even though im liking Sager at xotic pc. com
if I got a desktop and laptop it would still be around 1100+ ( my hands are too big for netbooks so thats why.</p>
<p>Do you remember the size of the desks? Not sure if i can fit my 15 incher comfortably on the ones at hamilton. I hope the desks get better as you go along…</p>
<p>Seriously, you’re trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole. It WILL fit but you are severely cutting off your options.</p>
<p>For 1800$ you could get a laptop capable of most gaming and be well on your way to a rockin desktop. </p>
<p>Honestly, you say you are going to travel and not work in a computer lab but that’s what everyone says at the start. There are A LOT of benefits of being forced to work in a lab/library/own room as compared to being able to be mobile. </p>
<p>My heartfelt advice is this: wait until you’ve gone through freshman year. Pay attention to your work and leisure habits. Some people are very good at working anywhere but the majority of people aren’t and college is a different ballgame than high school. After a year you’ll know if modeling on the steps is a doable thing for you. That way you won’t waste 1800$ on a laptop you only use for gaming that will be obsolete in 3 years anyways.</p>
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<p>15 inches will NOT fit comfortably on any true desk I know of at Columbia. It will fit, but it will be just barely at best. Fitting a 13" comp on most of the desks is a pain.</p>
<p>i guess i need to think this over; however, I have waited almost 2 years so im not doing this impulsively. I have shaved the cost to 1600$ If i do get a desktop the price will end up being the same for a 800$ great rig and a laptop that has dual core. well about 1400$ the laptop at least has to play wow. I dont game that much, and i dont have a wow account i just enjoy private servers. we will see. you cant fit 13 inchers comfortably? thats sad for the state of the desks. then again it is new york.</p>
<p>If you haven’t already, you might want to consider looking at school discounts you get for being a Columbia student. I know that Dell is offering a pretty powerful 15-inch laptop for around $1200. Apple also gives $200 off to students. There’s a page for Columbia discounts that you can find if you search around a bit.</p>
<p>thanks i have checked out the columbia website about 7% discount for dell, and i dont want a mac. after talking to my mother she doesnot want me getting a desktop and laptop or spend so much on one laptop so i may get a asus g71 about 1150$</p>
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<p>Not really…unless the desk was made in the past 10-15 years, there’s no reason a desk to be used for classrooms would be designed to hold anything other than ~8x11" paper.</p>
<p>I fit my 13-incher in your mom just fine the other night.</p>
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<p>All kidding aside, unless they’ve completely changed furniture in the last 3 years, the desks they give you are perfectly fine for a laptop set-up. Now, you may want to bring a folding card table to put up in your room to give yourself a little extra workspace for homework, but you definitely have a choice between “Use desk for Computer” or “Use desk for study space”.</p>